Chris Martin

On Gwyneth Paltrow's visit to the 'Late Show' (weeknights, 11:35PM ET on CBS), she revealed to David Letterman that her birthday parties as a kid included skinny dipping -- which (naturally) intrigued the host. And speaking of childhood, Paltrow also talked about raising her kids in England, and the stereotypes therein.

(S21E11) This episode featured two surprises, though both rather short-lived. The band Coldplay appeared as themselves, and the winning character from the "Best. Character. Ever" contest was revealed. It's so much excitement, even a million dollars couldn't top it!

The animation looked a little more awkward than in most weeks for some reason. It's as if the characters were drawn in a slightly more abstract way, similar to Groening's 'Life in Hell' comic strip. There was a bit more distortion in their features than we're used to seeing. 'The Simpsons' has become a very crisp production.

The main plot this week involved Homer ditching Marge at a wedding because a fortune cookie told him he would be lucky that day. From there, things went into the realm of the absurd at a breakneck pace.

"Be Patient, This Gets Amazing": What this segment lacked in punniness, it made up jaw-dropping, cherry-picking amazingness. Last year, the Supreme Court ruled that the EPA must regulate greenhouse gases. The EPA proposed some changes in an e-mail they sent to the White House. The administration then refused to open the e-mail, leaving the EPA to re-write the policy into something more Bush-friendly. Jon Stewart said (shouted?) it best with that expletive.

Yes, I know it's been a couple of months since the second season of Extras came out on DVD. But since I reviewed Season One earlier this year, I figured it would only be fair to look over Season Two, even if it's only for anal completist reasons (Of course, our UK Bureau -- otherwise known as "Martin Conaghan" -- reviewed the series when it aired on the BBC; his reviews start 1/4 of the way down this page).

From everything I heard and read, the second season of the Ricky Gervais / Stephen Merchant comedy was better than the first season. Of course, given the high standards set by Gervais and Merchant, that was saying a lot. After watching Season Two, I have to say that I agree with those assessments, but not for the reason that you think.

(S01E05) The preview for Heartland that ran during The Closer said it was a can't miss episode. To be honest, I have no idea what they were on about. There wasn't anything particularly shocking, or interesting, nor any big revelations about any of the characters. It was, for the most part, just like every other episode has been. That is, somewhat disjointed with too little focus on the main characters.

And with this episode, I think they finally lost me. The promise that I saw in the premiere hasn't turned into a show that I am going to watch every week. Add in the fact that my Monday TV schedule is already pretty busy with Inside Nextel Cup, The Closer, Big Love, Hell's Kitchen, and the upcoming Saving Grace, and there just isn't enough room for Heartland. So, I'm checking out of St. Judes, and this will be my last post on the show.

(S01E02) With Nathaniel taking over for Bart as the Chief of Staff at St. Jude, his old position is available. This week we learn that it has been filled by one Dr. Tom Jonas (Rockmond Dunbar). I was curious to see how this would go because this is a much different character than C-Note from Prison Break. Give some credit to Dunbar. I was on board with him as Jonas right away.

It was good, but not what I was expecting. Based on the previews I expected there to be more animosity between Nathaniel and Tom. There was a bit of that as they disagreed over the treatment of Gilliam, but by the end of the episode they were joking with each other so it looks like the writers are going in a different direction.

(S01E01) I was curious to get a look at this show as soon as I heard about it. If you were even the most casual fan of Everwood, the premise had to sound some bells. Treat Williams as a brilliant surgeon who struggles to juggle all of the balls in his personal life. That's a thumbnail sketch, but it's one that fits both Nathaniel Grant and Andy Brown very well.

(S02E04) It really couldn't possibly get any worse for Andy Millman. Seriously.

Following on from last week's Down Syndrome debacle, Andy kicked-off tonight's show with a charity video appeal, only to subsequently find his entire BBC sitcom hijacked by a shamelessly self-promoting Chris Martin.

However, the Coldplay front-man's repeated attempts to hawk a forthcoming greatest hits album was really only the start of Andy's problems, as he ended up nominated for a BAFTA award and finally caught a glimpse of some of light at the end of the tunnel.